Echo Techno
by FuruCorn123
Summary: "That yellow sweater, that brown hair, those green eyes, that pure smile...is the only reason I try my best." That girl changed everything, and everyone she met.
1. Chapter 1

Soap awoke to another morning. But this morning was different than all of the others. the other day, he transferred to the SAS. He was finally out of training, and was looking forward to meeting the Captain. He survived last night, when he arrived. He quietly chuckled to himself as he remembered the events of the evening before.

"_Hey Gaz, I think this is one of those FNG's they shipped us." A tall man pointed out. The guy called 'Gaz' just nodded as he overlooked some scary looking stacks of paperwork. "Yeah, Lovejoy, that's one of them. The other one was s'possed to come earlier today, but his flight was cancled." Gaz said. Soap just stood there waiting for instructions, when another man dashed inside, whispered something in Lovejoy's ear, then the two of them left together. "Oh, new guy. Your bunk room is 1-C. Pick one that's unoccupied." Gaz said before hitting the lights. Soap eagerly hurried over to the barracks. When he reached his destination, He picked an empty bunk, and fell asleep._

Soap ran a hand through his mo-hawk. He silently unpacked his ratty old duffel bag. He wasn't much of a talker.

He got this weird feeling, like someone was watching him. When he looked at the doorway, a swirl of light brown hair flew the opposite direction. _It's kind of early for anybody to be awake, but that hair is too long to be a man's. _Soap thought to himself. He stared for a moment before seeing an adorable young face at the door, with green-hazel eyes looking at him. "Hello..." he said kind of awkward. This girl shouldn't be here. He couldn't say it out loud, but when he saw the large duffel bag, his mouth nearly hit the floor. _No way, _He thought.

"He-Hello. Is this bunker room 1-C?" Her voice was soft. Soap nodded. "This is the only open bunk. You can have the top if you like. I might fall of you if you take the bottom one." She nodded. Her bangs hung barely above her eyes. She set her bag down, and began unpacking. The girl put her uniforms in the second dresser, and a few personal items in the bottom drawer. Quite a few books had some foreign writing, but others were editions of Encyclopedia Britannica. Soap watched as she unpacked. After she finished, she looked at him again. Those eyes, they reminded him of someone, somebody he knew from somewhere. "What rank are you? I'm a Sergeant." Soap just wanted to start a conversation with her. Maybe they could become friends. And for the first time, he noticed that the girl did not have any trouble understanding his accent. "I'm only a Private. I joined a few months ago, and spent most of it in training." There was an awkward silence between them, and after a moment, Gaz looked into the room. "So you must be Private Fukuda. Nice to meet cha'. Captain Price wants to see you both for a debrief." The girl trailed after him like a lost puppy, and Soap followed her. When they arrived at the hanger, they saw some other SAS men, Lovejoy, and some old guy with a creepy mustache. "Hey, you! FNG! What's your name?" The old guy asked. "Soap Mactavish." Soap replied. The old guy scoffed and asked, "The hell kind of a name is Soap, eh? How'd a muppet like you pass selection? And what is that behind you?" Soap looked over his shoulder, and saw the girl standing behind him. She took a breath, then stepped in front of him. "Private Kanade Fukuda, reporting for duty!" She gave him a stiff salute. The old guy seemed to have calmed down. "I'm Captain Price. Get ready to run the course you two. The Private will go first." Kanade picked up a Barrett 50. cal, and some flashbangs. She looked kind of ridiculous carrying a huge sniper. Soap didn't think she could handle the huge thing. "Go down the line when you're ready." Price said. She slowly slid down the line, and took out the targets in the first room. Price walked her through it as she went room to room. She finished in about 21 seconds. "Not bad, kid." Price commented. Kanade put the sniper back, and stood next to Price. "Hey, you. It's your turn." Price said. Soap ran the same course as Kanade did, but he finished at 25 seconds because he accidently flashed himself in room 4. "Alright, that's enough." Price said. "Head on over to the TV screens for a debrief."

_I did worse that a girl. That's kind of sad. _Soap thought to himself. _But at least she's good. _He reconsidered. A hand tugged on Soap's shirt. "I heard we have a mission tomorrow. Would you like to train later today?" Kanade asked. He tilted his head in confusion. A mission this soon? _I wonder how important it is._ He wondered. Kanade frowned. "Oh uhh, sure. Why not later today?" Soap said quickly. She gave him a wide smile. He couldn't help but smile back. They met up with Gaz and the others at the TV screens. "Alright. There's a suspicious nuclear device on this cargo ship. We are going in to check it out, and grab any evidence we can from it. We leave in five hours. Get some target practice in, and meet here at 2000. Dismissed." Price said.

For about 2 hours, Soap and Kanade practiced on some shooting targets. They showered up (Surprisingly, they had a woman's shower room that never got used) and went back to the barracks to rest up.

Kanade picked up a rather large book, and began to read it on the floor. "Uh, what book is that?" Soap asked. "It's the first edition of Encyclopedia Britannica." She replied. _Huh? She sounded like she spoke enough English. _"Do you really read that thing cover to cover?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"For fun!"

"HUH? What kind of fun do you like?"

"I don't go out anymore, so I bought this to keep myself busy."

…

"It's almost time to go. We should gear up." Soap said awkwardly.

After changing into their uniforms, and bullet vests, the two of them made their way over to the hanger where they saw a few SAS men. Kanade stopped dead in her tracks when she laid eyes on Price. "What's wrong with you?" Soap asked. Kanade lowered her voice down to a whisper. "I don't like the man with the creepy mustache." Soap grabbed her arm and nearly dragged her over to the Captain. She ended up staying behind Soap again. Price just ignored that she was there. "Wallcroft, do we have everyone?" Price asked. Wallcroft nodded. The group made up of Price, Gaz, Carver, Griffin, Wallcroft, Soap, and Kanade piled into the bird. The seats didn't hold enough room for Kanade, so she had to sit on the floor. She backed up as far as she could away from Price, completely avoiding him. Soap had to refrain from laughing out loud. _His mustache is kind of creepy._ Their whole flight in the bird was like that. Soon, the bird was engulfed in rain, and the storm began to worsen. Soap looked of the bird. He saw the violent storm, and the ship that was caught in the middle of it. "Alright, 10 seconds. Lock and load." Price said. Kanade pulled out her MP5, and checked her ammo. She was humming some strange tune while doing it. Price looked at her. "Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmmmm." Her bullet vest was too big for her, since they didn't have any for females. The smallest one would have fit her fine, but her chest protested, and they had to move up a size.

"Green light, go, go, go!" Price went down the line, followed by Soap, Wallcroft, and Kanade. "Weapons free." Soap took out the Russians in the control room. "Bridge secure." Wallcroft said. They entered through a door, and went down the stairs. "Gaz, stay in the bird 'till we secure the deck. Over." Price ordered.

"Stairs, clear." Wallcroft informed. They continued through the deck, and cleared the lower level. "Forward deck, clear. Green light on Alpha." Hammer 2-4 informed. Gaz, Griffen, and Carver rappelled down the line. "Fan out, three meter spread." The group of six split up, and made their way to the other side of the boat. Kanade followed Soap the whole way, and not once did she fire her weapon. "Hey, Kanade. Did you ever shoot? Just asking, but I don't think you've ever pulled the trigger." Soap whispered. She looked up at him, and gave him a straight answer. "I never shot because I didn't need to." Then Soap noticed that she was carrying a USP.45 instead of her MP5 that she brought along. He left the matter alone, but her words hung in his head.

"Got two on the platform."

"I see 'em."

"Weapons free." Price said. Soap began picking off targets, but he still didn't hear pistol fire from behind him.

"Hammer, we got tangos on the second floor."

"Copy, engaging."

The bird used the guns to take out the tangos on the second floor. "Bravo six, Hammer is at bingo fuel, we're bugging out. Big bird will be back in ten for evac." Hammer-six informed. The team went down into the cargo ship, cautious of their corners, and ready for action. "Movement right." Wallcroft said. Soap took out the tangos, and stood behind Carver peeked around the corner, but was greeted with a dozen bullets sprayed at him. "Flash bang out." Price said as he threw a flash. "Wallcroft, Griffen. Head back up and meet us there." The two turned around and started going back the way they came. Price rushed inside and began shooting the Russians down. Soap and Gaz went behind him with Kanade bringing up the rear.

When they cleared that room, they moved into the next one in the same position. A Russian was about to shoot Price from behind, when Kanade stood up on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and threw him down to the ground. She finished him off with a shot to the head with her pistol. "Smooth move, kid." Price commented. She just hid behind Soap. "I'm getting a strong reading, Sir." Gaz said. "You might want to take a look at this." Gaz opened the doors to a cargo container. Price quickly examined it. "It's in Arabic. Baseplate, this is Bravo Six. Ready to secure the package for transport." Price said.

"No time, Bravo Six. Two bogies headed your way. Grab what you can and get the hell outta there." Baseplate replied. "Fast movers, Probably MiGs, we'd better go." Gaz said. "Soap, grab the manifest in the container. Move!" Price ordered. Soap picked up the evidence, and started jogging after the group. "Wallcroft, Griffen, What's your status?" Price asked. "Already in the helicopter sir. Enemy aircraft inbound. SHIT!" Everybody was thrown back onto the floor. Soap could feel water on his back. "Bravo Six! Come in! What's your status?" Big Bird asked. "Shit! What the hell happened?" Gaz asked.

"Big Bird, this is Bravo Six. We're on our way out." Price said. He noticed Soap on the floor, and pulled him up by his arm. "On your feet soldier, we are leaving!" Soap didn't see Kanade anywhere, and that's what scared him. He sprinted after Price and Gaz, but he still worried. "Which way?" Gaz shouted. Carver was in the lead, followed by Gaz. They ran the way they came, but the pipes were falling. "Watch the pipes!" Gaz warned. Soap's boots were so wet, he slipped whenever he turned a corner. "Talk to me Bravo Six, where the hell are you?" Big Bird asked. "Standby, we're almost there!" Price replied. "Which way to the helicopter?" Carver asked. "To the right!" Price told him. "We're running out of time, let's go!" Gaz shouted. The ship was nearly on it's side, and the water wasn't helping their situation. The deck was slippery, and everyone nearly fell down. Carver jumped, then Gaz and Price. "Jump for it!" Wallcroft yelled to Soap. He jumped, and caught the edge, but he was slipping. Price caught it out of the corner of his eye, and pulled Soap up by his hands. _Where is Kanade? _Soap thought in a panic. Price then reached out his arms toward the ship, and a small body flew into his arms, bringing both of them to the floor of the Helicopter. "Wait, what were you doing? You weren't behind me for the longest time ever." Soap exclaimed. "I took some pictures of the device before the ship started sinking. By the time I got to my feet, the water was up to my knees and it caused me to slow down. I caught up to you in no time, you didn't notice." Kanade explained. "Wait, you took pictures? Can I see them?" Gaz asked. Kanade handed him the digital Kodak camera. Gaz looked at the pictures before handing the camera to Price, who was now standing on his feet. "Hmm, just as I thought. Kanade, that was a smart idea." Price said as he ruffled her hair. He handed her back her camera. "When we get back to base, I want those developed." Price said. "Yes sir!" She said with a salute.

**Three days later…**

"Soap, wake up!" Kanade tugged on Soap's shirt. He swatted at her with his hand. "Nnnn, too errly for thsss." He complained. (No, too early for this) She ignored him and began pulling the blankets off. "Come on! I have to give these pictures to Price, and I don't want to go alone!" She whined. Soap was too tired to say anything to this. Kanade kept tugging at him. "Fine, I'll watch. But I'm still tired." Soap sat up, but hit his head on the top bunk. "Ow," He stood up, and followed the hyper 19 year old over to the Captain's office. She was still going on about his scary mustache, even though the old man didn't seem scary himself. Kanade knocked on the door, then hid behind Soap. Price opened the door, looking very irritable this morning. "What do you want, I'm very busy at the moment." Soap pushed Kanade infront of him. "_She _has something to give you." Soap told him. Kanade gave Price the yellow envelope before stepping away from him. "Oh, those photos I asked you to develop. Good work, Private." Price said before going back into his office. "Did you know that only 20 percent of the world is left handed?" She asked randomly. Soap shook his head. "Only you would know that."


	2. Chapter 2

**SSLLLURRRRPPPP!**

Soap was now getting annoyed by Kanade's loud slurping. He offered to take her into town for ice cream, and was now regretting it. She just _had _to wait to eat until the stupid thing started to melt. "We'd better get back to base. It's almost time for dinner." Soap said, just to hurry the childish 19 year old up so that they could leave. Soap mainly wanted to leave because Gaz warned him about trouble-makers who get drunk on Friday nights. "Almost done!" Kanade said. She continued slurping for another 45 seconds before wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Okay, let's go!" Soap put the chair and followed Kanade outside. He felt like her big brother who followed his little sister around everywhere she went. There was a buzzing in Soap's ear. He pressed a button on his earpiece, and listened. "Soap, you need to come back to base, ASAP. There's an emergency, and we have to leave now." Gaz's voice sounded hurried. "Will do. We'll be back."

Soap snapped back into reality, and realized that there was no sign of Kanade. He looked all around, but there was no sign of her. They were in fair walking distance of the base, so she couldn't have gotten lost. _She seriously couldn't have gone farther than the train tracks. _Soap thought to himself. _Worry later, this could be a serious mission. _Soap started running back to the base, but when he got there, he didn't see her. _Damnit, how can she run off that fast?_

Soap gave up on the situation, and started running back to base. By the time he got there, he still didn't see her. At this point he began to worry. But he kept walking, and he walked straight into Price's office, and nearly cried when he saw Kanade seating Starburst candy on the floor like she was seven years old. He was bending over, panting harder than he ever had in his life, and she was eating candy. "Oh, you stopped in the middle of the street, so I walked back by myself. I bought some candy on the way, want some?" Kanade said so innocently, he couldn't get mad at her for nearly giving him a heart attack. He gratefully took the candy from her, and put it in his pocket. "We called you back here, because President Al-Fulani was executed on live TV by Al-Asad." Gaz informed the two who were clueless as to what was going on. "The Americans have plans for Al-Asad. But in three hours, code-name Nikolai will be executed in Russia." Gaz continued. "He supplied the Intel on the cargo ship operation." Price added.

"We take care of our friends." Price stated, but Soap couldn't say if he was talking to himself, or stating it out loud. Kanade dashed out of the room faster than anyone could see that she left. Gaz stuck his head out the door, and asked, "Where are you going?" They could barely hear her reply when she said, "Well, the drunk Russian isn't going to save himself, now will he?" Price started laughing. Soap looked at him. "She is full of energy today, isn't she?"

**1 hour later…**

Kanade was fast asleep on Price's lap, despite the bumpy ride in the Bird. Soap himself was tired, since the sun was already going down. The heli was due to land in forty-five minutes. Soap was bored out of his mind, but couldn't find any sleep. In the past three weeks, Price was really soft of Kanade. Soap had no idea of what was going on, or why Price was always talking to her. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.  
"Soap, wake up. We're going to land." Price shook Soap's shoulder. Soap opened his eyes, and saw Price right in his face. "Whoa, a little close there, eh Price?" Soap joked. Price rolled his eyes. Kanade was now bright eyed and bushy tailed. "When will I get my callsign?" Kanade asked. Everyone looked around, avoiding her gaze. "Landing in ten." The pilot informed the team of four. As soon as the heli touched the ground, Kanade jumped out. Her sniper was on her back, and her pistol was in her hand. The suppresser was longer than the weapon itself. Soap, Gaz, and Price were holding their sniper riffles. Everybody followed Price on instinct. "So, are these the good Russians, or the bad Russians?" Gaz asked.

"Well, they wont shoot us on sight, if that's what you're asking."

"That's good enough for me, sir."

Soap sniped a few men from his position, while Price picked them off as they went. "Kamarov and his men will be waiting in the field ahead." Price said in a low voice. They went through the house, and behind it, was a medium sized field. "Gaz, you smell that?" Price asked. "Yeah, Kamarov." Suddenly, a large man came out of the bushes, and nearly made Kanade scream. (She would have if Soap didn't put his hand over her mouth) "What's the target Kamarov, we've got an informant to recover." Price asked.

"The Ultranationalists have BM21's on the other side of that hill. They have killed many civilians in the valley below." Kamarov said. He was about to follow his group of soldiers, when Price stopped him. "Not so fast. Remember Beirut? You're with us." Price pointed out. Kamarov thought about it for a moment, then nodded his head. "Hmm, I guess I owe you one." Kamarov said. "Bloody right you do." Gaz muttered. Kamarov led the way over to the hill where they would give the Loyalists covering fire. "Hey, um. What happened in Beirut?" Kanade asked. Price just shook his head. When they reached the top of the hill, they could see that the attack had already begun. "Sniper team in position. Gaz, cover the left flank." Price ordered. "Kanade switched weapons, and started picking off the tangos down below. _And _she hummed this melodic tune while she did it. Price, Gaz, Soap, and Kamarov looked at her for a moment. After a moment, she stopped, then began singing a song in a foreign language. "Itsumo hitori de afuriteta…" Price came to like this tune, and started sniping along with her. Sometimes, they would double shoot a target because Kanade was so fast. Soap would aim for a target, but Kanade would beat him to it. Soon, Soap could hear the sound of a helicopter. "Damn, enemy helicopters!" Kamarov said under his breath.

"You didn't say there would be helicopters, Kamarov."

"And I didn't say there wouldn't be any either. We need to protect my men from those helicopters, this way!"

"Make it quick, Kamarov. I want that informant." Price said, now getting impatient. "You have nothing to worry about. We'll take out the BM21's, and carve a path straight to your informant, Captain Price." Kamarov led the soldiers through a burning house. "We should just beat it out of him, sir." Gaz suggested. "Not yet." Price replied. They were now going up a hill, when they ran into enemy forces. "Oh, dear. Good thing I brought these." Kanade said. She pulled out some C4. The team left so fast, he didn't have time to grab anything extra. She chucked some C4 about 10 yards before detonating it. Half of the attacking force was now down. They continued up the hill, but ran into more enemy forces. Kanade picked them off with her pistol, but it was kind of hard since it wasn't an automatic. She was still singing that song, and now, it was in Soap's head. Kamarov took them up that hill, meter by meter. But Russians just kept on coming. "Price? I think they have the higher ground since we attacked them, and not vise versa." Kanade stammered out. "Yeah, what's your point?" Price said, roughly dodging a bullet. "What I'm trying to say, is that we're out numbered, and they're starting to fall back to finish off Kamarov's men." Price looked over, and noticed that too. "Captain Price! My men have run into heavy resistance! Help me support them from the cliffs." Kamarov requested. Price was now looking very irritated, but he answered his request. Kanade was again sniping, and with her on the team, it made a huge impact on the Russians. "Now we must move this way!" Kamarov pointed to a fenced in electrical unit. Price followed him up, and waited impatiently as Kamarov overlooked the battle with his binoculars. "The final assult has begun. With a little more of your sniper support, we are sure to be victorious. Captain Price, I need you to-" Kamarov didn't finish. Gaz came up from behind him, and bent him over the edge of the cliff. "Enough Sniping! Where is the informant?" Kamarov struggled even harder against Gaz. Soap was covering Kanade's eyes with his hand. "Where is he!?" Gaz yelled. "The house, the house at the north east end of the village!" Kamarov finally answered. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now go sit in the corner." Gaz retorted as he threw Kamarov back against a wall. "We have to reach that house before anything happens to that informant, let's go!" Price said.

The group of four rappelled over the wall, and onto the lower ground. The enemy was too focused on Kamarov's men to notice the four behind them. This made the group's job three times quicker than if the Russians had noticed them. As usual, Kanade was the first one to the outside of the house. "Wait. Gaz, go around, and cut the power. Everyone else, get ready." Price ordered. Gaz went around the back of the house, and waited on Price's order. Kanade curiously followed him to see what he was doing. "Kanade, regroup with Price so you can storm the building." Gaz told her. She stood behind Price (This was the first time it happened) and Soap gave her a questioning look. _A week ago, she wouldn't go near the old man. _Soap thought to himself. "Do it." Price said. The lights went out, and it made it difficult to see. Then Soap remembered that he had night vision goggles. Kanade didn't put hers on.

The Russians whispered their language to one another, but each one of them were cut off in the middle of their sentences. Price led, taking out each enemy after another, while Soap covered his back. Kanade was somewhere in between the two at some point. The three went up the stairs, and nodded to Gaz, who was on the balcony outside. In the back room, was a Russian who sat awkwardly on the floor, speaking some kind of gibberish. "It's him." Price identified the Russian as Nikolai. "Are you all right Nikolai, can you walk?" Gaz asked. "Yes, and I can still fight. Thank you for getting me out of here." Nikolai replied. Kanade shyly handed him an AK47. "Big Bird, this is Bravo Six. We have the package, meet us at LZ one." Price said into the comm. "Bravo Six, this is Big Bird. We're on our way, over." Big Bird said.

The now group of five exited through the back of the house, and made their way to a large field, where the chopper was landing. Henderson was already waiting inside of the bird, so Soap and Price climbed in first, while Nikolai and Gaz entered last. Kanade was last again for some reason, and had to squeeze in between Soap and Gaz to fit. "Have the Americans already attacked Al-Asad?" Nikolai asked Price. "No, their invasion begins in a few hours, why?" Price asked. "They are making huge mistake. They will never take Al-Asad alive!" He told Price. Soap thought about it for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kanade leaning on Gaz's shoulder. Price and Soap exchanged a knowing look. Gaz caught this. "What are you guys thinking?" he asked. Nikolai caught onto the act as well. "I think she likes you." Price said, teasingly. Gaz went wide eyed. "Why would you think such a thing?" He nearly yelled. Nikolai and Soap started laughing. Henderson kept quiet. "Keep it down, I'm trying to sleep." Kanade mumbled before leaning on Soap's shoulder. "I think she likes Soap the most. She's always hanging around him." Gaz said, crossing his arms. Soap didn't like this. "Oi, I don't think she likes me like that."

"I think she likes Price the most." Nikolai butted in. Price gave him a look that could have burned his face off. "You just met her, why think such a thing?" Price asked. Soap came in to the argument. "Why would she like Price? Her first day here, she was afraid of 'the dick-tickler', and wouldn't go near him." Price lifted an eyebrow at Soap. "What about my mustache?" Before Soap could explain himself, and odd beeping sound rang in his ears. "What the bloody hell is that?" Price asked as he turned around in his seat. His eyes widened as he turned back around. "Incoming missile, hang on!" Kanade was the only one wearing a seat belt, and was feeling groggy as she woke up. A huge missile hit the back end of the chopper, and it made the helicopter spin. Everybody (Excluding Kanade) was holding on the something in the aircraft. Soap closed his eyes right before impact. When he opened his eyes, Soap was on the ground, and Price was standing infront of him, talking to Gaz. Price noticed Soap, and he came over to help him. "Get up, you're still in one piece. Come on, we need to get moving before the search parties get here." Price grabbed Soap's arm, and helped him up. Soap looked at the helicopter, and saw Henderson pull Kanade out of the wreckage right before it exploded. Price and Soap hurried over to him, but they didn't like what they saw. Kanade's upper hand and arm had a scary looking shard of glass, and she was bleeding a lot of blood. "I'll see what I can do to stop the bleeding." Gaz informed and he pulled out his Medical kit. "I can't remove the glass, but I'll cover it up to put pressure on the wound." Gaz said to Kanade. She winced as he put the bandage around her arm. The gauze was starting to turn red with blood already. Gaz didn't have to say anything. Everybody knew that if they didn't give Kanade medical attention soon, she would either bleed to death, or go unconscious. "I don't think I can shoot either, I'm a lefty." Kanade dropped the bomb on Price like it was nothing. "Uh, sir. The pilots and Paulson are dead." Gaz added. "Bugger…" Price groaned. _Things are not going Price's way. _Soap thought. Price gave him that look. "Did I say that out loud?" Soap asked. "Never mind, we should go." Price said. Nikolai followed after him, while Gaz stayed in the very back to help Kanade. "Sir, aircraft coming from the north." Henderson said. "Quick, get under that bridge." Price ordered. Gaz nearly dragged Kanade to cover, and he could swear the helicopter passing by saw them. But the it didn't stop. Instead, a searchlight shined on the crash site. "Let's move." Gaz was urging Kanade to move faster, and slowly, she was able to keep up with everyone. Soap didn't think Gaz noticed her paling face.

Price led the 4 others to a village, to where they could find supplies. Instead, they found a Russian team of 5 interrogating an innocent man. "All right, let's kill 'em before they kill the bastard." Price said. Soap was on it. He took out all five, and he saved the man.

They kept going until they reached a field. Price spotted the safe house, and thought that it was a good place to check on the wound. The helicopter was passing back around for a second inspection. There was no other cover, so Price said, "Hit the deck!" Kanade literally fell over on her stomach. She fidgeted, for a moment, and that put Price on edge. "Stay down, Stay down." He said slowly. Soap stood up, and thought that they were safe, but bullets started whizzing by, bullet by bullet. "Bloody Hell, they're onto us!" Price said. "Gaz, get that basement door open, now! We'll hold 'em off!" Price ordered. Gaz put Kanade down behind a nearby tractor, and began working at the lock. It took him a moment, but he finally managed to break the lock. "The door's opened sir!" Gaz informed as he helped the Private into the house. Price closed the doors behind him. "Soap, scout ahead for an exit." Price ordered. Soap nodded, and looked ahead for any kind of door. When he came to the floor above the basement, he saw quite a few rooms hooked together, but one door remained closed. He guessed that it was the one, and headed for it. "Flashbang!" Price warned. Soap's eyes and hearing went bad for a moment, and when they recovered, Russians were streaming through the front door. Soap instantly began spraying them as they came in. Soap then followed Price through the door, down the steps, and into the alley. "Where did they go?" Price whispered. "Probably somewhere up ahead to cut us off." Gaz guessed. "Well, stay sharp." Price said. Just as he said that, the rapidly growing sound of dogs filled Soap's ears. _Dogs, man do I hate dogs. _Soap thought to himself. Soap readied himself, and some heavy thing knocked him down.

It was a huge German shepherd.

It nearly bit Soap, but he caught it's muzzle just in time. The others were fighting up ahead, and couldn't tell who was getting attacked. The dog clawed at his left eye. Soap barely closed his eye to avoid being hit directly. Something kicked the dog off of him, and a large spray of shots ended the creature. When Soap opened his right eye, he could see Kanade holding a Mini-Uzi in her right hand. "Oh no, are you okay?" She asked, concerned. "I don't know, it hurts a lot." Soap replied as he put pressure on his eyelid. "I'll patch it up so the bleeding doesn't get in your way." She used her right hand to put a large square band-aid on his eye. "Thanks." Soap said. Soap picked up his weapon, but it was hard to aim since his eye sight was off. The group of 6 moved through a turn of alleys and buildings. Then the enemy helicopter came back around. "That helicopter's making another pass, get to cover!" Price said. Price, Henderson, and Soap ran to cover inside of a green house, while Gaz and Kanade went into the building across the street. The searchlight moved in awkward directions, but Soap didn't pay attention. He was tood busy hugging the walls, and shooting Russians to notice anything. Even though his aim was a bit off, and it took him a few extra bullets to take a tango down, he was doing pretty good. "Price, we've got stinger missiles in the barn." Gaz informed. "Grab a stinger missile, and take out that chopper!" Price ordered. Price ran across the street, and into the barn where Gaz was treating to Kanade's arm. Her face was nearly as pale as chalk.

Soap picked up the Stinger, and shot at the helicopter, but it popped it's flares before the missile hit. "Bloody hell, he's popping flares, this wont be easy. Soap, grab another stinger missile; Let's put him to the test." Gaz said. Soap picked up another, aimed, and fired. Only this time, the chopper spun around in circles before crashing. "Good work, everyone. Let's move." Price said. He opened the door at the back on the barn, and led the team straight forward. "Bravo six, be advised that AC-130 is entering your airspace at this time. Out." Baseplate said. Then another voice came on the comm. "Bravo six, this is Warhammer standing by. Heard you could use some help down there. You call the shot." Warhammer said.

"Fire mission, danger close. Enemy armor and infantry 100 meters southwest of our position." Price replied. Soap turned around, and saw Gaz nearly carrying Kanade. Soap began to worry, but focused on the objective. They were moving through a small ditch, watching the enemy infront. After a moment, a missile hit right infront of him, making the Russians scramble. "Bravo six, we'll cover you all the way to the extraction zone. You'd better get moving." Warhammer warned Price. "Roger that, Warhammer, Out. Come on, let's go." Price said. They were following a road that led them south to the LZ. Only Price knew where they were headed, so the whole team had to rely on him. Soap looked for cover often since his eye wasn't helping the situation, and Gaz couldn't do much since he was now carrying Kanade on his back. The AC-130 made a lot of noise, and the only sound was either explosion, or heavy machine gunnery. Soap shot, bodies dropped. Price continued to lead up to the church, which seemed like it was a thousand miles away. Just when Soap thought things were going his way, they were cornered in a large field. Air support made the situation a bit easier, but they just kept coming. "Enemy vehicles incoming. I think we just found a ride." Price said. Price pulled the driver out, and the passengers ran without having to have been scared off. Price hopped in shotgun. Gaz put Kanade in the back seat, Nikolai rode in the front, while Henderson, Nikolai, and Soap rode in the truck behind the first one.

Nikolai was driving, but now Soap was beginning to wish that Henderson were. Nikolai swerved, and nearly went off road. They followed Price, but stopped when RPG's were seen. "Damnit, Nikolai! Drive!" Soap nearly yelled. "I'm trying. I'm no used to deez American controls." Nikolai complained. Henderson leaned over the seat, hit the pedal, and steered for Nikolai. "Not that hard, buddy." Henderson scoffed. Price pulled over, and hopped out. "We're arriving at the junk yard, and are now going on foot." Price informed Warhammer. "Roger, we'll cover you."

Missiles hit not too far from their position. Russians literally went flying in the air. Soap was amazed by the missiles. Gaz didn't once complain about carrying the now unconscious Private. Soon, they were surrounded. "Warhammer, we're taking fire from all sides, request assistance-Danger close!" Price was yelling into his comm. "Affirmative."

After a moment, the LZ was nearly clear of Russians. Price looked up, and saw the choppers. "Chopper's here. Get ready." Price informed everyone. It landed in a nearly clear are, despite all of the cars. Soap was the first one in this time, and Gaz was last. He gently put Kanade down, and looked at her wound. The bandages were covered in red. He unwrapped them, and a medic came by to assist. "Doesn't look to good. How long has she been bleeding?" The medic asked. "About 45 minutes, but not a lot. I think the shock knocked her out." Gaz told him. The medic shook his head. "Looks like she'll need a blood transfer. Blood type?" The medic asked.

"B."

"B."

"B."

"B."

"AB."

"Well, you might have to call in a relative. None of you can donate, since her blood is A+." The medic informed. Soap would have donated, but his blood wouldn't match with hers. _This sucks. _Soap thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_Beep! Beep! Beep! _The alarm clock sounded. Kanade jumped out of bed, and looked at Soap. She looked at the clock, and decided to get dressed instead. She slipped on her flight suit, and reached for her helmet. Her name was carved on the side in Japanese characters. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection. Her cast was removed the other day, and it just so happened to be that her flight test was today as well. Back in training, she flew planes most of the time, hence the fact that she couldn't carry heavy weapons, therefore using a pistol most of the time. She wasn't well trained on the ground, but in the sky, she felt like she could do anything. Soap woke up and looked at her. He gave her a puzzled look before going back to sleep. _Sleepy head's going to be late. _She looked at the clock and saw the time. _7:27? How did the time pass so quickly!? _She was most diffidently going to be late to her first test. Kanade sprinted down the halls, and accidentally bumped into Price, spilling his coffee. She didn't even stop to apologize. The runway was in plain sight, but was so far away. The sergeant gave her a threatening glare, indicating that he meant _you better get your ass over here or I'll come over there and kick it. _She gulped as she put her helmet on. "Now boys, I'm looking for flight pattern 2. Number 3 isn't necessary. I want you to take off, do some of the flight procedures, and land all in one piece. I will be giving out temporary call-signs for communication." Kanade looked at the mans' mustache, and nearly burst out laughing. She was grateful that her helmet was on or else he would have seen her smile. She looked at his name tag on the right side of his chest. 'Brant'

There were five other men who stood as stiff as a statue, and as serious as a honey badger. "You, will be Roman." Brant said to the tiny Private. "Yes sir!" She said as serious as she could. Brant went down the line, giving out call signs. "Now, pick a plane, and start the engine. The key is already inside."

Kanade marched towards a decent looking plane. _Basic's planes were better handled. _She thought to herself, referring to the planes she flew back before she joined the SAS. Kanade could barely lift herself into the cockpit, and her height affected her view past the dash board. A crackle in her helmet made Kanade's ear twitch. "All call signs, report in." Brant's voice was ear bleeding loud inside of the cockpit. "Roman, here."

"Spider, here."

"Clock's in."

"Mouse here."

"Goldfish here."

"Husky here." Kanade turned the key, and listened to the sound of the engine. The thick glass muted the full sound, but Kanade hadn't heard it in months. "You have a green light." _Which light is green again?_ She worried.

She checked the throttle, and all of the controls before putting on the speed. The buildings became a blur as the plane picked up speed. She pulled back on the steering controls, and the plane lifted up. Kanade banked right, and tried her best to remember the flight procedure. _Skittles! Remember it! It's in your head somewhere! _

She forgot it.

_Wait, procedure 3 isn't hard. It's just spinning in circles and looping… _The last time she tried it, she threw up. Kanade took a huge gulp. _Here goes._

She threw the control stick to the right, and she began spinning out of control. "Roman, what's going on?" Brant asked. "Sir I-" Her helmet fell off, and began rattling around. "Private! What is going on? There's a lot of banging in there."

She stopped spinning, and her helmet fell smack on her head. "Owwww." Then she went to pick up her helmet.

Big mistake.

The control stick tilted back and inch, and the plane went straight up. She was thrown back into the seat. She put her helmet back on, and grabbed the controls. She put too much weight on the stick, and it started to plummet straight down. "I wish I missed this test!" Kanade finally managed to even out the plane, and headed for the runway. She made a perfect landing, which was the only thing she did right. She opened the door of the cockpit and hopped out, feeling more dizzy than anything. "Private, what happened up there?" Brant asked as he bent over to yell in her face. "Sir, I tried to do procedure 3, but my helmet fell off. When I went to retrieve it, the controls slipped back, and when I went to even it out, it went straight down, sir." She said quietly. "Nice flyin, you crazy Aeronaut." A dark skinned man commented. "Yeah, I'm surprised you haven't thrown up yet." Said another man.

"WELL, THIS AERONAUT IS ON STALL DUTY FOR THE NEXT WEEK!" Brant yelled in her face. "Sir, yes sir!" She replied. _Not stall duty again… _Kanade said, remembering the last time she received stall duty from a superior. Let's just say that she accidentally pulled the pin on a grenade during paint ball.

After the group was dismissed, she headed for the bathrooms. The woman's was always clean, since she was the only one who ever used the showers and toilets. It was the men's room that was more sickening that a dead dog on somebody's porch.

Some guys stared at her, but when they saw the bucket and scrubbing brush, they began to whisper. "Stall duty again…"One said. "That's the third time this month." Another laughed. Kanade didn't care. She got down on her knees and began cleaning the toilets.

Five hours later, Kanade's back ached. Her hands were like prunes, and she was about to miss lunch if she didn't hurry. _I'm so disorganized. I need a watch or something. _She thought. She grabbed her tray, but couldn't find Soap anywhere. "Hey, Aero! Over here!" The same dark skinned man from earlier waved his hand at her from across the room. She walked over to him and sat down. He was accompanied by 2 other men. "Nice flyin' today, Private." He complemented. "Name's Rock. This is Kanga and Mandy." Rock gestured to the two other guys. Kanga was a pale white man, while Mandy looked more Hispanic. "Yeah, dude. I saw you flying like you'd gone _loco._" Mandy said.

"Well, I really did lose my helmet." Kanade said, shyly. "People gonna start callin you Aero till the day you die. And then afterwards after today." Mandy started laughing.

Aero started eating a few bites of her lunch. Today was turkey sandwiches. Something clicked in her head. _I forgot to email my sister again! _Aero panicked. She finished the sandwich and stood up. "I'm sorry, but I have something to do that's really important. See you guys later!" Aero dumped her tray and dashed to the barracks where she kept her laptop. After her injury, her older sister (older by 5 and ½ minutes) ordered her to email her everyday at noon if possible.

"_Email me everyday at 12, Kana-chan." Karin said in their natural language (Japanese) "Yes, Onee-chan. I promise." Kanade had replied. Their older brother Kris was sitting at the foot of the hospital bed. "Is that necessary? She's 19, and so are you! You guys aren't distant cousins who never see each other. You're lucky mom isn't here." Kris said to the both of them. "Shut up, Kris. We never see each other since she's always gone!" Karin was starting an argument again. "I know, calm down. I miss her too. But we call each other every once in a while, right Kana-chan?" Kris was holding a rather large book. He flipped through the pages, hinting that his reading was excelled. He did have a bachelors in literature which he received from Todai, the best college in Japan. Kanade went to Todai as well for two years, since she graduated at 16. then she joined the army. Karin was going for her masters in physics, for reasons unknown. "Yeah, it's no problem Kris, I don't mind." Kanade gave her siblings a huge smile. That always seemed to cheer them up._

Aero lifted up the screen, and tapped the mouse pad a few times to wake it up. She logged on to her email, and saw five new messages. _Junk, junk, junk, junk, ooh! Karin e-mailed me. _She clicked on it, and read the small font on the screen.

_Dear Kanade_

_Kris and I went to the old house, and salvaged a few pictures that survived the fire. I sent you a few. You can see the rest when you get back for Christmas. Later!_

Aero scrolled down and saw five pictures. Memories smacked her in the face. These were taken years ago. In 2009, a mild fire burned half of their house down. The half that was burned included the second bathroom, and their mothers' room. The other half wasn't completely destroyed, but most of the furniture scorched. Their mom kept all of her pictures in a wooden chest that was thought to have been burned.

_Okay thanks Karin. I can't believe you found them! I'll see you this Christmas!_

Aero closed her laptop and slid it under her pillow. A loud, and clear voice was getting closer down the hall. "Private Fukuda! Where the hell are you?" Captain Price called. "In here, Sir!" She called. Price stomped into the room, and glared at her. His gaze made her shrink. "You have a very important email in my office waiting."

She followed him to his office, and went over to the computer. "Sir, what does it say?" The screen was too bright for her to see. "It basically says, the USMC is offering you a temporary spot for air-strikes. They need another pilot until they can find a new strike team. It's your choice."

_A temporary place-ment. That means I can fly more often. But air strikes? Hmmm. Sure, why not. _"Sure! I can do that. Tell them I said yes." Aero said. "Dismissed."

Aero went back to the barracks to pack. She ran into Soap on the way and told him the news. "That's cool, but for how long?" Soap asked. "I don't know, until they get reinforcements to help out. Could be for about three weeks?" She replied. She got out a small dark bag, but then looked at it suspiciously. "Soap, is this black, or dark purple?" She asked. Soap gave her a funny look. "It's dark purple, why?" Soap replied slowly. Aero furrowed her eyebrows. "Can you help me find a black bag that looks nothing like this?" She started digging through her duffel bag as she said this. Soap looked at her chest, and threw it at her. "Ow! I forgot I left it there. Can you hand me my medium gray uniforms?" Soap was really concerned now.

He looked through her chest, but there weren't any gray uniforms. "You sure they're gray? All I see are green flightsuits and the normal uniforms." Soap called to her. "Oh, the flight suits! Yes those, please." Aero stuffed them in her bag. "Aero, you okay? You're acting really weird." Soap said in a low voice. Aero gave him a strange look, then went cross eyed. "I'm not acting weird." She said.

"You just said that your green uniforms were gray. Something's wrong." Soap pressed. It was as if a light bulb blinked on her head. "Oh, I have achromitopsia." She said casually. Soap stared at her. "What the bloody hell does that mean?" Soap asked.

"I'm colorblind."

…

…

…

She said it so casually, that Soap couldn't say anything. "So you can only see in black and white?"

"No, it's more like shades of gray. I don't know what color your eyes are. They're either light blue or dark gray."

"They're blue. Why didn't you tell me before? If you say that to just anyone, you'll look like a complete jack-ass. How'd you even join the army?"

"I know some colors, but I cant tell green from blue. I failed my DMV test about 3 times since I couldn't tell the red light from the green light. In the first grade, all of my drawing looked weird because the faces were purple and the clothes were black and green." Aero said.

_Goddamn it, I can imagine her setting off a nuke._ Soap thought to himself.

"_Press the green button!" Price called to Aero. "It that the green one?" Aero asked as she pressed the red button. "GODDAMN IT!" Everyone shouted._


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry that I haven't updated lately, my laptop has been broken and it still isnt fixed, so my files on what happens next are lost. I'll try to update 2 chapters this week to catch up. Enjoy.**

Aero sat on the bench of the helicopter. She stared out the window, and looked at the clouds. Aero was rarely ever sad. She might cry, but she wasn't sad. Today, she was having a sad day. It had literally been three hours since she left England and headed for Afghanistan. There were only a few people in the helicopter. There was a gruff dude who sounded so southern, you could just hear the YEE-HAW in his voice. The two other guys were just your standard Marines, and there was one guy wearing a flight suit.

Aero's flight suit didn't fit her too well, mainly because of the 'chest' situation, and her helmet was too big no matter what size she tried on. Aero mainly said yes to the mission because she wanted to fly a plane since she hadn't in the longest time ever. (which was about 2 months earlier) Basically, she was doing air strikes wherever she was needed, which would most likely be the front lines.

If Aero was worried about anything, it was her mother. Her poor mother was always home alone because everyone was off at college. A few months after Aero and her twin were born, their mother, Jenni Fukuda brought them to Japan to live with some relatives after they were going through a tough time, and their father was pretty much a dead-beat. Aero didn't even look Japanese, but her mother's last name gave that impression.

"Landing in five, get ready boys…and girl." The pilot called from the front. Aero grabbed her bag from beside her and put the one strap on her shoulder. _I need to lay off the books. _Aero thought to herself.

The helicopter landed on the outskirts of the small camp. The sun was setting, making Aero squint her eyes from the sunlight. As soon as she stepped out of the heli, she was greeted by a tall, slender man, whose light eyes revealed a threatening personality. "All right men. Here are your tent numbers," the man said as he handed out pieces of paper to everybody. "I am Captain Jets, and as of now 'till you go home to your mommies, am your CO. I want all of you in the main tent at 0530 for your first mission. Dismissed." Captain Jets said in the most boring voice Aero had ever heard in her life. She opened her folded paper, and read the number inside. _**207. **_She looked around. Everyone else was already out of sight. Aero stared at the maze of tents. _Son of a brick. _She thought. Cautiously, Aero headed into the maze. Un-luckily, she entered between tent number 1 and 37.

Everywhere she turned, all she could see was the tan tents surrounding her. She even looked at the numbers on the tents, and still couldn't find number 207. The sun was already down by the time she actually found tent 200. _Finally! Now to get some sleep. _Aero unzipped the tent to find a cot, one chair, and a small writing table. She could actually stand in here, which was a good thing.

Aero actually wasn't even tired. All she really wanted to do was eat, but she had spent so much time looking for a single tent, she missed it. Aero unpacked her bag, and pulled out a book with Japanese writing on the cover. In translation, it read, _The Tsubaki in the morning. _It was a very old book, dating back to 1984. Aero liked to read, and she didn't have a particular genre that she liked, so she read anything she could put her hands on.

After a few hours, she got bored of this book, so she turned off the lamp and tried to go to sleep. She was exhausted, but her eyes just wouldn't close. She was too excited to move, but too excited to sleep. Eventually, she managed to close her eyes long enough to go to sleep.

Aero awoke to her alarm clock buzzing from inside her duffel bag. She stood up and hit the 'off' button on the side. Aero suddenly felt the need to pee, but she had no clue where the bathroom was, and she didn't feel too comfortable peeing outside with a bunch of guys around her. 0500 her clock said. _Oh no. I think I can hold it until after the briefing. _She looked outside at the rising sun. It looked stranger here, like a tinted red was lingering in the air. Aero looked left, then right, then up. The briefing tent was the largest one there. It was hard to miss. Aero grabbed her helmet, and went down to the tent, waddling the whole way. Some of the soldiers who were awake at this hour snickered at her. "Dude, what's wrong with her?" One guy asked. "Who knows, but she probably was put in a bad position last night if ya' know what I mean." The other laughed.

Aero knocked on the pole of the tent. Almost immediately, Captain Jets unzipped the zipper. "You're early. We still have ten minutes. "Yeah, I didn't want to get lost again, so I decided to be early. Do you know where the bathroom is?" Aero talked so fast, Jets could barely understand her. "Sure. 10 tents down to the left and 5 rows up. Make it fast." Jets said. Aero nearly ran down the camp. When she saw the bathroom, she nearly died in relief. She opened the door, and quickly did her business, and washed her hands. She had never felt so relieved in her life. She quickly sprinted back to the main tent just in time.

"Good, I see the Private has made her way back. Let's begin, shall we?" Captain Jets said. The four other men stood at a stiff attention, while Aero inspected the tent. It was very big, and there was so much equipment. Aero wished that she had the time to examine it. "You five have been called here to help with the airstrikes necessary to keep our position here in Afghan. The problem is, we keep losing our best fighters because they don't know how to fly in the heat of battle. So, you guys-_girl _will be flying to aid whoever down there needs it. You will not be needed for too long, only until our new recruits finish basic. That'll only be about another three weeks, maybe four. I want every single one of you at your designated plane and/or helicopter by 0900. Do not miss breakfast, because you will not be back for a while, depending on where you're stationed. The ones who fly the fighter jets will be gone for maybe two days, so be sure to take the food rations with you. Any questions?" Captain Jets asked. No one answered. "Dismissed. Pick put your instructions here." Jets said as he pointed to the table in front of him.

There were four packets. Aero stared at them until she found the one that said, **Private Fukuda, Kanade**. Aero read the packet carefully, trying not to miss any important details. As she expected, Aero was to pilot one of the fighter jets. The rest of the info was her background, food ration information, and some instructions on what to do in case of an EMP.

Aero walked down to the few tents hooked together that was considered the 'mess hall' She walked in to see about ten tables with benches, and an area in the corner that had a stove, a large refrigerator. The few women who worked there looked at Aero for a split second before turning back to work. Aero walked over there, and showed them her list of food rations that were included on the packet. One lady examined the list, and gave her 4 days worth of food rations. "You're the first female pilot we've seen in the longest time ever." The same woman said. "Really?" Aero asked. The others nodded in agreement. Aero grabbed her breakfast of toast and eggs and waved a goodbye to the ladies. Almost as soon as she sat down, an extremely loud buzzing sound started going off. '_All soldiers to the runway. All pilots to your aircraft. This is NOT a drill, I repeat, this is NOT a drill. Enemy has broken through the defense lines.' _The voice was Jets, and by the sound of it, he wasn't too calm. Aero grabbed her rations and helmet and ran outside towards the hangar where the planes were kept. Her plane was **F-16 fighter 2, hangar 2. **_I haven't flown an F-16 since basic. _When she reached the hangar, the F-16 was already on the runway, waiting for her to turn the ignition.

A few guys were there already. The southern man she saw earlier was at the heli pad, ushering soldiers on. The other flyer she'd seen was at hangar 3, getting ready to take flight. Aero immediately climbed on the wing, and into the cockpit of the plane. With the press of a button, the hatch sealed closed. She put her helmet on, and strapped it tight. The oxygen tank that was on the floor had a small breathing tube that Aero attached to her mouth and lower face. The air tasted weird, but it'll do.

With a turn of the key, Aero had the plane up and running. A buzz in the plane caught her attention. '_All pilots have the OK to take off.' _On that note, Aero hit the acceleration, and the plane started moving. The speedometer slowly moved its little arrow clockwise, indicating that it was rapidly speeding up. Aero pulled up on the CS, and the small fighter moved upwards, aiming towards the sky. The monitor blinked to life, and showed a map of her in the air. The friendlies were green, and the enemies were red. _COME ON! Why cant everything be in black and white? _Aero whined. She toggled the screen to heat, which made the friendlies white and the enemies dark grey. A blinking light appeared on the controls, and she pressed the button. "_Hello? Is this air support? Aaaah! Please respond." _The voice said over gunfire and explosions. "Hello? This is…" Aero tries to read the packet and fly at the same time. "This is AS fighter jet BRAVO 2-2, here for AS assistance, over." Aero said. "_BRAVO 2-2, this is Alpha squad. We need assistance now! Sending you our coordinates. Alpha out." _

A small, white blinking dot appeared on the monitor. Aero put the petal to the metal, and raced towards the distress call.


	5. Chapter 5

Aero reached the distress call just in time. The enemy was advancing-fast. "Alpha, this is BRAVO 2-2, I am at your position, waiting for targets." Aero said. Immediately, another white dot appeared not too far away. Aero scanned the area on the second monitor. There were three tanks, and some heavy gunning down there. Aero launched two missiles towards two tanks, and aimed the turret at some of the enemy soldiers. Both tanks exploded, and Aero took out the heavy artillery in the rear. Since she couldn't stop the plane in mid-air, she passed them, then turned around and aimed the turret at the last tank. '_Thanks, we were almost toast back there! I think we're fine for now, but you might want to check it to the east. I think they need some support down there. Out." _Alpha responded. Aero took his advice, and followed her monitor until she reached the hot zone. And when I mean 'hot zone', I mean 10,000 to 3,000.

Aero saw about 2 other friendly fighters flying in the skies, doing fly-bys, and launching missiles towards the enemy, but to no avail. "_BRAVO 2-2, this is BRAVO 1-2. I'm almost out of fuel. Cover me until I get back in 5." _ Aero started firing the turret like a mad man. Most of the enemies' artillery was blown up by the missiles, but there were still a bunch of armed men down there, so the only thing to do was to take them out. Easy, right?

Wrong.

**BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!** A dark light started blinking. _Oh no, enemy missiles! _Aero launched one out of four flares, and the enemy missile followed and crashed into the flare. Aero threw the CS down, and plummeted towards the earth. The enemy plane was hot in pursuit.

Aero pulled the CS up just in time before she hit the ground. The enemy plane wasn't so lucky, and went up in flames. _It's going to be a long day._

Aero continued opening fire on the enemy, but they just seemed to keep on coming back. It was getting to the point to where Aero was having trouble keeping count of how many groups needed assistance. But the troubling thing was, all of the support was need in one exact area. The enemy was only attacking from the north. There were teams put around the perimeter to keep the enemy from flanking, but there wasn't any activity going on down to the south, east, and west.

The base was always on high alert because it was the biggest American forces camp posted in Afghanistan. It was constantly under attack. If this base was destroyed, the Americans might as well hang up their coats and call it a day. Aero understood this. And she knew what would happen if they lost this battle.

**Three weeks later...**

Soap lay in the rec room, watching tv while some of the guys played pool or poker. All of a sudden, Price walked in, and changed the channel to the daily news. "Sir, we were watching that." Soap said. "Shut your trap and listen." Price replied roughly as he turned up the volume.

"It has been confirmed that there is a possible nuclear device in Afghanistan. Troops have been ordered to evacuate the battlefield and retreat as far as possible from the nuclear threat..." The news woman reported.

"And they're just letting the public know about this?" One man said. Others nodded in agreement. "It doesn't matter. But if this nuke goes off, all hell will break lose." Price said before sitting down next to Soap, with a worried expression. "Price, you okay?" Soap said. "I'm alright. I'm just worried about the soldiers we sent out there. We've got Boat, Lo, Spider, Bull, and Aero out there." Price murmured. Soap heard 'Aero' and started to feel sick. _Oh God, I hope nothing happens out there._ Soap prayed.

**Afghanistan**

"_All air and ground units, we have a possible nuclear threat. NEST teams are trying to handle the situation, but until the threat is neutralized, we are having all units evacuate to the east, out." _Command said over the COMMs. Aero was helping a team reach an LZ, while she heard this. _What about the teams to the west? The ground forces wont make it in time. _Aero thought.

After receiving permission from Command (They specifically said: At your own risk) Aero went to the west to help. _"Ground units, this is BRAVO 2-2 here to assist with the evacuating of the west units, over." _She said over her radio. _"BRAVO 2-2, this is C-team. We need you to cover our tails while we load up."_ C-team leader said. Aero fired tangos within her range.

After seeing that most of the troops were out, she began to fly to the east. _"All US forces, be advised: we have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city, NEST teams are on sight in an attempt to disarm. I repeat, we-" _An explosion sounded behind Aero. The force hit the back of her aircraft, knocking out electronics and pushing the plane out of control. Aero had been close to the safe zone, but even the other aircraft in the skies had been affected.

Aero tried to pull up, but the plane wasn't responding.

Last resort plan: Crash landing.

Aero used what power was left to pull up before making contact with the ground. The plane slid before coming to a rough stop against a medium sized rock.

_Oww, whiplash. _Aero thought. Her head ached from the sudden whiplash. So did her body from making hard contact with the seatbelt. She was about to relax before realizing that the nose and right wing of the plane was on fire.

She tried hitting the eject button, but the hatch wouldn't budge. A small explosion sounded from the wing. _Not good. _Aero thought as the tried pushing on the hatch. The fire had reached the cockpit. Aero coughed from the smoke, but kept pushing. She took off her helmet at banged it against the window. Bullet proof glass was backfiring. The fire was burning her leg, and the smoke was consuming her. She beat against the glass, and only made a crack. Her leg was burning, and the fire was moving up, burning her hip. She screamed in pain. She was losing her strength. She began to slump down into the cockpit. A bang at the glass, and it shattered. Glass flew into Aero, but the burns hurt worse. A man pulled her out and set her on the ground.

**England**

Soap was on edge as he watched the news. All that he saw so far was just robberies and high speed chases. **Breaking News! **Suddenly flashed across the screen. The news woman appeared as she sat seriously at the desk. "A nuclear explosion has just occurred in Afghanistan. Many troops have died, and wounded are being evacuated and sent to nearest medical care. Crews are moving in to investigate this threat, but in the meantime, we have a count of the killed, wounded, and missing."

As the lady said that, a list appeared on the screen, listing every soldier that was on the field at the time. It went in alphabetical order. So far, Lo and Boat had been killed, and Spider and Bull wounded. Aero was one of the wounded as well. Price looked at the floor with grief. Soap was just glad that Aero wasn't dead.

A week later, Spider, and Aero were sent back to Credenhill. Soap, Price, Gaz, and all of the other SAS men were at the flight hangar, waiting. The medics had explained how Bull had died shortly after they found him. When the medics unloaded Spider and Aero. Spider had cuts and bruises as far as they could see, and a few broken ribs. Aero on the other hand was coughing. She wasn't wearing pants, and as they could see, bandages lined from her right leg, up to her upper stomach. Part of her left leg was burnt, her arms, and the tips of her hair. Soap looked in horror. Spider was going to recover quickly, but Aero was going to be in the hospital for a while.

When the commotion had died down from the grief of it all, Soap went to see Aero. When he arrived, Gaz was leaving her room. All Gaz did was shake his head. When Soap went inside, he could see Aero, laying there. Her blanket was on the floor, and the fan was on. Her bandages were slightly red in some areas.

"Hey there. You okay?" Soap asked. Aero looked at him. She was about to say something, but she had a huge coughing fit. Soap helped her drink some of the water that was on the table. "I'm going to be here a long time, aren't I?" She asked. Soap nodded slowly. She looked at him, and looked like she was about to cry. "Do you know how many soldiers died there? A lot. And sometimes I wish that I was there with them. Do you know how it felt to see those planes and helicopters go down, knowing that ninety percent of the people there was going to die? And those who were close are probably going to die from cancer. Those who survived will probably never serve again." Aero said. Soap was shocked. He looked at Aero, and finally realized how shaken she was. After a long silence, he asked, "What happened?"

Aero thought for a moment, as if trying to remember. "When they told us that there was a possible threat, I knew that the people in the west wouldnt make it. So I went to help evacuate. I was close the the safe zone when the nuke went off. I lost 90% of power, and I used what was left to make a crash landing. The wing and the nose caught on fire, and eventually, the cockpit did too. I remember trying to break the glass, and I know that a man helped me out. But I don't remember too much." Aero said. Shortly after. A nurse came in. "I'm sorry sir, but we are about to change the bandages, and some are in inapropriate places. Could you please leave?" The nurse asked. Soap nodded before leaving.

Soap was upset now. Not only about Aero, and Spider, but about all of the men who died there. Because some stupid guy just wanted power. _Al-Fulani can shove that pride down his gullet. _Soap thought angrily as he walked back to his room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Credenhill, UK**

Days after the nuclear bomb, Captain Price planned a mission to track down Al-Asad to end him once and for all. Captain Price and Gaz sat down next to a laptop, and were screen-calling Nikolai.

"The man is coward, Captain Price. Al-Asad would never sacrifice himself. There is a safehouse in Azerbaijan that Al-Asad haz used in the past. I am sending you the coordinates." Nikolai said. Price nodded and said, "Understood." Then he turned to Gaz. "Gaz, assemble the team. We're going to Azerbaijan." Gaz nodded, and before leaving he said, "Yes sir. I hear it's lovely this time of year."

**Near Baku, Azerbaijan**

In a short while, the team piled onto a helicopter and raced to Azerbaijan. The team consisted of SGT Wallace, Price, Gaz, and Soap. They had left right after dinner, and were close to arriving at nearly 2:00 in the morning. Soap had to admit, he was tired. He didn't sleep well, as he used to. He never really knew Bull, Lo, or Boat, but he knew that Lo was the best technician they had. And he knew that Spider used to crack jokes about anything, and had made quite a reputation with his American 'Yo mama' jokes. Soap knew that Bull was a big, African American who was excellent at poker, and never lost a game. And he had nightmares about what Aero had said to him, about being stuck in a burning plane, and seeing aircraft falling. He could only imagine what her burns looked like.

He snapped back into reality as Price shook his shoulder. "Boys, we're arriving in less than five minutes. Get ready, we'll have to take a short walk." Price said. He looked at Soap with concern.

They landed on the outskirts, giving them the advantage of surprise. Price led them into the town, and they began the search.

**Credenhill, UK**

Aero sat on the infirmary bed. She couldn't move her burned legs very well, and after they removed all of the burned skin, (Which was VERY painful) they confirmed that Aero would be out of the medical wing as soon as most of the scabs had peeled off. The scabbing process already began, and with the medical enhancers, they said she should make a full recovery.

Aero thought about her time in the SAS before she went to Afghanistan. She made a few friends, she got glass in her arm, and she had fun around the base. When she accepted the offer, she was so happy that she could fly planes, that she didn't think about the dangers, or about her friends. She felt..selfish.

And the worse part was that her sister was going to flip about the burns. Aero could see it now.

There was nothing to do. Most of her things were still in Afghanistan, so she had absolutely nothing to do. She tried to remember The Tsubaki in the morning. It was about a girl named Tsubaki who was born in Japan, and had many adventures as she traveled the islands, looking for a someone to love. She had so much fun meeting friends and goofing off. She forgot all about looking for love and decided that she should wait until love found her. After a while, she met a man and fell in love and had kids. There was so much to the story that Aero loved. It was her favorite book. Her Stepfather used to read to her when she was little, and this was the one book that she loved. (He would read her a little bit of the book at a time because it was over 900 pages long)

Aero stared out the window, watching the clouds as the covered the sky, indicating that it might rain.

**Near Baku, Azerbaijan**

Soap and Gaz invaded one of the possible safe houses, coming through the basement and making their way up. No luck here, either. "Building clear. No sign of Al-Asad. Move on." Gaz said into his COMM as he, Soap, Wallace and Price moved to the next building. There were many Ultranationalists on one specific building. Price called out to Soap. "Call in air support on that building!" Soap targeted near the house, and the Havoc pilot shot down everything near that point. Soap crouched behind the wall for cover as a sudden burst of fire came through the window.

After most of the enemies were down, Soap and Gaz advanced forward towards one of the last remaining buildings. Soap climbed into a nearby lookout tower; he grabbed a sniper and began mowing down enemy Russians. Once again, when the UN's slowed down, the group moved up. Soap moved through a cemetery, using the gravestones for cover. _Sorry, I'm sure you'll haunt me in hell for this. _Soap thought as he ducked behind another tombstone. He met up with Price near the back door of the white house. Price nodded to Soap, and they stormed inside together. They searched all throughout the building, but still, no Al-Asad. "Building is clear, move on to the next one." Price said on the COMM. Soap was feeling really confident that Al-Asad might be in this last building.

**Credenhill, UK**

Aero picked at the scabs on her arm. She knew it was nasty, but she wanted to get back on the field as soon as possible. Besides, it was peeling anyways, and when she moved her elbow, the scab cracked off. So far, she had gotten down to her elbow. She noticed the new skin underneath her scabs. It was so light compared to her skin. She was caucASIAN, so her skin was a tan color, and her new skin was almost light beige. Soon, the door to her hospital room opened. It was Doctor M. His last name was Melheitzordf or something, but everyone called him Doctor M.

"Hello Ms. Fukuda. I see you're busy picking at your scabs." he said. "Yeah, I want to go back in the field with everyone else." She said, still working at her elbow. Dr. M chuckled. "Well, I just came in here to check on you. And to administer your medicine." He said as he pulled out some medicated cream and some gloves. He gave a pair of gloves to her and put on a pair himself. He opened the jar (That Aero thought looked like Mayonnaise) and started applying some to her arms and lower legs. "Alright. I'm going to let you do the rest, alright?" Dr. M said as he turned around.

Some of Aero's burns reached to her breasts and were close to her..._area. _She rubbed some everywhere needed before giving Dr. M the okay to turn around. "Well, If we're all done here, I'll send for someone to bring your dinner." Dr. M said as he exited the room. He backpeddled back through the door and facepalmed. "I almost forgot. If you can get rid of all your scabs within two days, I'll write you're clearance note to Captain Price." he waved before closing the door. Aero started picking like a madman.

**Near Baku, Azerbaijan**

After searching three more houses, Soap began to give up. _I don't even think the bastard's here. _Soap thought to himself. Eventually, Soap realized that they haven't checked the worn down barn. "Captain, I think we should check out that barn. We haven't looked, so he might be in there." Soap suggested. Price nodded to the others. "You heard him, lets take a peek." The group headed up the steep hill, and to make things better, they were greeted with dozens of rounds of bullets, and a few grenades.

Soap shot down a few UN's from the fence with his sniper, while Price, Wallace, and Gaz moved in closer.

Soap met up with the rest at the back barn door. Price had a serious look on his face. "Remember; we want Al-Asad alive. He's no good to us dead." He said as he hit the lock, threw a flashbang in, and shot down Al-Asad's guardmen. Price socked Al-Asad in the face, knocking him to the ground. Price crouched down and started punching him, over, and over.

With help from Soap and Gaz, he tied Al-Asad up to a folding chair. "Why'd you do it? Where did you get the bomb?!" Price nearly yelled as he punched him. Soap and Gaz kept their distance. Al-Asad said something in his language that may have been, "I didn't do it!" Price punched him in the gut before saying, "Who then?" Al-Asad said something like, "I'll never talk!" Price responded with a punch in the face. "Who!? Give me a name!" Al-Asad didn't say anything. "A name! I...want...his...name!" Price enunciated. He began hitting him, but stopped when he heard a cell phone ringing. "Sir, it's his cell phone." Gaz stated as he tossed it to Price. Price answered, and listened for a moment before hanging up. He turned around and shot Asad straight in the face. Gaz looked hesitant, but asked, "Sir, who was it?"

"Zakhaev. Imran Zakhaev."

Price told the story of how he and Captain MacMillan had hunted and supposedly 'killed' Zakhaev. He explained how he went for a headshot, but hit his arm and assumed that he would die from the shock or bleed to death. With the proof of that call, he figured out that Zakhaev had survived it, and is now coming back for revenge.

With the sun now up, Gaz called Command for a ride back to Credenhill. They said that the nearest transport would be there in thirty minutes. Gaz tried asking for a chopper closer to their location, but all they said was, "The only faster way out is if you grow wings and fly."

Gaz explained to Price. "No good. We'll be corpses for ten minutes by then. Every Ultranationalist psycho in Zakhaev's pocket is about to be on our doorstep, coming to claim Al-Asad." Price explained. "Or what's left of him." Gaz muttered. Price began to think of a plan. "Right. We'll plant charges along phase line Alpha on the southern hill, and more along phase line Bravo. We'll delay them all the way back to the top, and hold our ground at the extraction point in the fields around the farm. Any questions?" Price asked. Gaz answered for everyone. "Let's do this."

**Credenhill, UK**

Aero was trying to fall sleep. The thunderstorm outside didn't help. She hated thunderstorms. She hated rain, and thunder. Her brother used to always tell her that aliens were attacking whenever thunderstorms occurred. When she entered the third grade, kids made fun of her when she hid from thunderstorms. She eventually found out that it wasn't true, but she still hated thunderstorms.

She thought about her teenage years. She was a true shut in. She didn't like going to parties, or blasting music. Kanade, Kris, and her twin Karin went to karate school every day after school from when they started 2nd grade, to when they graduated highschool, and Karin was not afraid to use it. Even though Karin didn't like admitting it, she was smarter than she put herself to be. She would go to parties, and return at all hours of the night. Their mother (who spoke only Japanese) would scold her and send her to bed. Karin had at least 13 boyfriends during highschool, and more than 5 in middle school. Of course their mother didn't approve. When Karin broke up with one of her boyfriends, it was always 'his fault' and she would hit them one way or was twin A, so she was slightly bigger. Kanade was twin B, so she was slightly smaller. Karin always took control over Kanade, always telling her what to do. Kanade loved her sister, so she never argued.

When they graduated highschool, they went to Todai University, the best college in Japan. Karin chose physics, Kris chose language arts, and Kanade chose aeronautical engineering. Even though she rarely saw her family, or old friends, she still loved them dearly, and they meant the world to her.

Aero eventually took her mind off of the storm long enough to close her eyes and fall asleep.


End file.
